To help reduce the frequency of rolling blackouts due to limited supply, customers should use less electricity these days, state owned electricity company PT PLN says.
East Java's PLN corporate spokesman Agus Widayanto said his company would still implement rolling blackouts.
"This is due to some damage to the equipment in our power stations including in Suralaya, Paiton, Muara Karang and Grati," he said.
Moreover, he added, the Saguling and Cirata hydro-power power stations could not operate optimally due to insufficient water because of the prolonged drought.
Thanks to these conditions, the Java-Bali interconnected electricity network was suffering a deficit in electricity supply of up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) , he said, forcing the company to limit distribution of electricity to customers.
"We have to implement this policy. Otherwise we will have a total blackout," said Agus, adding that the policy was imposed on all customers without discrimination.
Rolling blackouts so far have been implemented in Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Pasuruan, Malang, Mojokerto and Lamongan.
As condition worsened, however, blackouts that were previously implemented during peak hours between 05:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. were now also imposed in the morning and at afternoons.
The selected areas, accordingly, were also extended. Only hospitals and military posts are excluded from these rolling power cuts.
Agus said the rolling blackouts were managed by 15 area network operators in the province that would set a schedule for the blackouts.
"It's them that decide which industries and household areas will be switched off at a particular time," Agus said.
He added that based on the prevailing regulations, the company would provide a discount of 10 percent of the published rate of electricity to any customer who suffered from continuous blackouts for three consecutive days without a stop.
In a related development, the electricity shortage has forced offices, malls and hotels in Surabaya to increase the temperature of rooms from 18 degrees Celsius to between 19 and 25 degrees, by reducing use of air-conditioners, turning them on later and switched off earlier, to help save electricity.
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